THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
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For Immediate Release
November 9, 2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I am pleased to sign proclamations extending greater protection
to two irreplaceable pieces of America?s natural and cultural heritage, the
Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona and the Craters of the Moon in central
Idaho. With this action, nearly one million acres of unique natural and
historic resources already in public ownership are fully protected.
The Vermilion Cliffs monument covers 293,000 acres of federal land on
the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Humans have explored and lived on
this geologic treasure since the earliest known hunters and gatherers
crossed the area 12,000 or more years ago. California Condors, Desert
bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, and other mammals roam
the canyons and plateaus.
The expansion of the Craters of the Moon monument, originally created
by President Coolidge in 1924, adds 661,000 acres of volcanic craters,
cones, lava flows, caves and fissures of the 65-mile-long Great Rift, a
geological feature that is comparable to the great rift zones of Iceland
and Hawaii.
With these proclamations, this administration continues its commitment
to preserving and restoring America?s natural treasures, from the Florida
Everglades to the California redwoods, for this and future generations.
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